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Updated June 9, 2019

Family name origins & meanings

  • English : nickname for a strong, aggressive, bull-like man, from Middle English bul(l)e, bol(l)e. Occasionally, the name may denote a keeper of a bull. Compare Bulman.
  • German (mainly northern) : from a byname for a cattle breeder, keeper, or dealer. Compare South German Ochs.
  • South German : nickname for a short fat man, a variant of Bolle, or a nickname for a man with the physical characteristics of a bull.

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